Episode 17: Astronaut Ice Cream Sucks
In case you were as confused as we were, here are some ice cream definitions!
Gelato is simply the Italian word for ice cream, but in English, it has come to mean specifically Italian or Italian-style ice cream. Gelato is made with a base of milk, cream, and sugar, and flavored with fruit and nut purees and other flavorings. It is generally lower in fat than other styles of ice cream. Gelato typically contains less air and more flavoring than other kinds of frozen desserts, giving it a density and richness that distinguishes it from other ice creams.
Snow cones are a variation of shaved ice or ground-up ice desserts commonly served in paper cones or foam cups. The dessert consists of ice shavings that are topped with flavored sugar syrup.
Shave ice or Hawaiian shave ice is an ice-based dessert made by shaving a block of ice. While the product can resemble a snow cone, snow cones are made with crushed, rather than shaved, ice. Shaving produces a very fine ice that appears snow-like. Flavored syrups are added to the ice, which are absorbed by the ice instead of surrounding it.
Frozen yogurt is a frozen dessert made with yogurt and sometimes other dairy products including non-dairy products. It is usually more tart than ice cream, as well as lower in fat (due to the use of milk instead of cream). Frozen yogurt may or may not contain live and active bacteria cultures.
Sorbet has just two main ingredients: fruit and sugar. There may also be some water, flavorings, or acid added to it, but it's essentially blended fruit that's churned and then frozen. No dairy is added to sorbet, which is how it is different from ice cream.
Sherbet is sorbet's creamier cousin. A little cream, milk, egg whites, gelatin, or even buttermilk is added to a sorbet mixture, and the result is a frozen dessert that's richer, and creamier in texture than sorbet but still lighter than ice cream, as by law, it must contain less than 2% fat.
